Golf Around the World

Golf Around the World: When and If to Say No

It was a terrific week for golfer Chris Wood, who won the Qatari Masters in sensational fashion by scoring an eagle on the 18th. With that six-iron to the green and a calm twelve-foot putt, the Englishman from Bristol walked away with his second and most prestigious victory on the European tour. With this win, Wood moves up from a 140 plus ranking, into the top 60. The twenty-five year-old had already put in a promising amateur career, including a handful of wins and coming in as low amateur in the ’08 Open, played at Royal Berkdale. The Quatar was his 115th event. Yes, that’s Wood – no, not Woods. That Woods is out having a good week at Torrey Pines, but that’s another story altogether.

The Qatari Masters is a jewel in the new crown of Middle East involvement with the European tour, along with fellow host, Dhubai. All the greats have played there, and the riches behind these tournaments provide a world-class experience, the one touring pros expect. It’s all part of a blossoming image of Qatar as a fully-functional and pragmatic world community member. It’s all part of attracting more of the world’s most visual “goodies,” and the campaign is thus far successful.

Qatar extolls free speech, except in the case of the national leadership, and this week, they’ve got a public relations problem. Muhammad ibn al Dheeb Al-Ajami, Qatari poet, read one of his poems before a private group gathered at an apartment. It was recorded and became an internet sensation before Al-Ajami found himself in prison for life over the matter. He claims that he was criticizing a fellow poet, but with a general fear of the Arab Spring uprisings, the powers that be are perusing everything for threats to the Emir. Few seem able to detect such a threat, but there Ajami sits, pending appeal.

It scarcely needs to be said that no golf tournament would be played, anywhere in the world, if they depended upon an environment of perfect justice. The progression of golf’s history is filled with valorous firsts, in terms of gender, race, nationality and age. Our own hallowed halls have struggled forward while the grossest cases of government abuse and neglect have gone unchallenged. What makes Qatar any different?

It isn’t, except that such heavy-handed, fear-based actions have been forged into national policy. Al-Ajami’s attorney, Nayeeb al Nauimi, who is a former Qatari Minister of Justice, has the unenviable job of defending Al-Ajami in the appeal. He has the right credentials, though, having served on the defense team for Saddam Hussein.
I can’t generate the slightest “hmph” against Chris Wood or anyone else participating in this tournament. It’s an official event for Europe, a great tour filled with first-rate talent. He should be applauded for this win. Europe, however, might want to take another look at national attitudes and actions such as this, despite the universal knowledge that cultures differ greatly around the world. For Qatar, this local dust-up that has turned into a life sentence for an ordinary citizen may get out of hand. As the poem itself was a brief sensation, so may be the case as it proceeds.

Nothing should tarnish the Englishman’s win this week. He has nothing to do with the Qatari poetry incident. But, if the country wants to keep its new face to the world looking fresh, they may want to ditch the phobias and cut the citizenry some slack. It is, after all, the European Tour, and Europe might want to have something to say about the ideals behind the institution.

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About the author

G.F. Skipworth

has spent every available moment playing golf or studying the greats since the 60s, in between world tours as a classical musician, Harvard studies in Government or as the author of a dozen novels. Nicklaus and Snead may be the statistical greats, but Skipworth is a life-long devotee of Gary Player, and considers meeting the South African at the Jeld-Wen to be an unforgettable milestone. His driving passion in golf these days is to raise viewer interest in the LPGA.

I feel much for Mr. Wood – doing his best to demonstrate his excellence at his craft, and winning, but doing so in an environment that has lots of opportunities to promote basic human liberties.
Reminds me of the Olympics situation, in which Americans trained their entire lives to excel at an event, and then the host nations moral landscape calls into question whether one should compete.
This makes me consider basic liberties and things I take for granted. I was looking at something from Abraham Lincoln earliar, and he’s egging on youth to preserve liberty and to ‘fight the good fight’ (that someday new powers will arise, with new unfilled ambitions and desires, and it will be up for future generations to preserve what history has bequeathed us) – certainly very relevant. Also I like poems!

Some fun with Wood, but he says “I had to dig deep. You’ve seen the likes of Tiger Woods do it before – he wins ugly. I didn’t play as well as I have done but in the back of my mind I always felt I was there, or thereabouts.” Another demonstration of grit and perseverance, and how persistence in the face of things not going so well wins the day.http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/21211731

Wood seems to have different looks to him (looks very young) – different hair here:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/8158331.stm
Anyway, interesting he’s relatively young (25) and how more and more the new lions and dragon slayers are winning.
“The only certain thing in the universe is change”.